


Teacher's Alpha

by ElementalPower



Category: Supernatural
Genre: Alpha Benny Lafitte, Alpha Dean Winchester, Alpha Dorothy Baum, Alpha/Beta/Omega Dynamics, Beta Bobby Singer, Detective Dean Winchester, Domestic Dean Winchester, M/M, Omega Castiel, Omega Castiel/Alpha Dean Winchester, Omega Charlie Bradbury, Past Domestic Violence, Teacher Castiel, Young Sam Winchester, tragic past
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-07-11
Updated: 2018-09-09
Packaged: 2018-11-30 16:11:38
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 9
Words: 15,519
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11467074
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ElementalPower/pseuds/ElementalPower
Summary: Dean smells the most delicious scent when dropping of Sammy for his first day of school. He knows that it is going to be a hard-fought battle for omega's heart.





	1. Chapter 1

Dean had not been prepared to take on this task. If anything, he would have considered himself too young to be doing this. He knew that there were people much younger than himself with the daunting task. He had hoped that he would have a mate to help with everything before having to do this, much less by himself. He hoped that he would have someone standing right beside him before doing this. But here he was, standing outside of the school for Sammy's first day of Kindergarten.

 

It shouldn't have been this daunting, but ever since he got Sammy, he's been mother henning his way through parenthood. It was a surprise when his parent announced that they were pregnant with him, but still much less surprising when they had gone, but Dean didn't want to think about that right now.

 

Sammy was standing at his side pulling his hand. Dean wasn't sure whether it was in excitement or fear. The two brothers walked hand-in-hand to the front door. The outside of the building was a boring brick expanse that was only broken by windows with paper hanging inside of them. The inside of the building was the exact opposite. All of the walls were covered in different colored wallpaper looking the painting section of a home department store threw up all over the walls.

 

After being directed towards the main office by signs lining the walls. Once there, they were greeted by a woman standing at the front desk. She looked annoyed at being interrupted from whatever she was doing until she saw Dean. She looked him up and down, wafted her around beta scent towards him.Unfortunately for her, Dean wasn't the least bit interested in her scent. Fortunately for her, Sammy was too young to smell what she was giving off.

 

"I'm here about Sam Winchester; he's new here," Dean said, keeping his scent as neutral as possible. He didn't need Sam to ask what had upset him and made his scent go sour.

 

Realizing that she had no chance, we looked for documents for her little brother. Instead of bothering to say anything else, she handed him a single sheet of paper, dismissing him with a wave of her hair.

 

'Okay then,' Dean thought to himself, dragging Sammy away from the woman with him before he did something that he regretted. He guided his little brother down the bright blue sign proclaiming that it was Mr. Novak's classroom. The door was wide open and the squeals of small pups were heard inside.

 

Dean walked into the classroom and was overcome by the scent of apple pie and home. It was the best scent he had ever smelled. He searched the classroom for the source of the delicious smell and was met with the most beautiful, blue eyes that he had ever seen. He almost immediately got lost in them. He would have stayed there staring had Sammy not decided to grab at his arm again, that he had to let go at smelling the scent.

 

He looked down at the tiny pup that was standing beside him. His little brother was hiding behind his legs indicating that he was frighten. The man with the blue eyes was standing in front of him, head tilted so that his messy, raven black hair was hiding his eyes from view.

 

Instead of talking to Dean, the man knelt down so that he was at Sammy's height. What surprised Dean more was the slightly garbled sound that came out of the soft voice.

 

"Hello, little one. My name is Mr. Novak. What's your name?"

 

"Sam," Sammy said, peeking out from behind his brother's legs.

 

"Why aren't you excited to be here with us?"

 

"I'm scared."

 

"What's there to be afraid of?"

 

"What if everyone else makes fun of me? I can't shift yet," Sam said dejectedly.

 

This kept coming up. In all of the TV shows that Sam watch and books that he read, most of the characters who were his age were already able to shift. Dean tried to tell him that the actors were often older than they portrayed and that not everone shifted at the same time. Sam never believed him, of course. What did he know?

 

Mr. Novak gave Sam a kind smile. "Why would they make fun of you for that. Not everyone can shift yet, and we still include them."

 

Sam squinted at him, determining whether he was lying or not. After determining that he wasn't lying, Sam sidestepped so that he wasn't hiding as much behind Dean's legs.

 

"Is there anything that you love to do?" Mr. Novak asked him.

 

"I like to read. I can't read the really big words by myself thought."

 

Mr. Novak looked at him proudly. "Would you like to see our library. I think that you might find something that you might like?" The man held his hand out willing for Sam to take it. Sam shyly took his hand, as the man lead him away.

 

It was a simple moment, yet Dean wouldn't help but see it as the omega dutifully taking care of his pup. Dean knew it was wrong; they hadn't even talked to one another, yet Dean already knew that he was in love. He watched as Mr. Novak walked Sam over to a small, overfilled bookshelf. The two of them flipped thorugh the many books on the shelf and selected a few for Sam to read. Mr. Novak led the little pup to some bean bag chairs, before settling in and starting his first book.

 

Mr. Nocak then walked over to Dean. "Sorry about that. I wanted to make sure he was okay."

 

"No problem. You were great with him. I would be surprised if he realized I was still here."

 

"I suppose that you are Mr. Winchester then. I was notified that Sam would be joining us even though it is a couple of months into the school year."

 

"Call me Dean. Yeah, it took some time for Sam to be ready for school, especially with the new move."

 

"That's quite fine, Mr. Winchester. You indicated that you would need after school care. We would prefer if you could be her at the latest of 5:30. If you cannot make sure it, be sure to call ahead."

 

Dean felt like he was being dismissed for the second time that morning. He didn't feel insulted though. Through his strong senses, he sniffed a slight smell of fear. It was nothing blatant. The omega wasn't knowingly giving off the scent, but it was definitely there. Dean didn't like it, but he knew that it was time to leave to keep the omega from getting more uncomfortable. Dean looked in Sam's direction with the pup's head still stuck in his book and left the classroom. As he walked down the hallway, Dean stuffed the guilt of leaving the omega in distress, and he needed to get to work. He doubted that the chief would be willing to overlook the new guy getting to work late even if he had to drop his kids off at school.


	2. Chapter 2

During the long drive to work in the early morning rush hour, Dean could only think about the gorgeous blue-eyed omega, He still didn't know his first name. He could have easily found out, but it felt wrong. Every time he thought about doing so, he remembered the fear that was oozing out of his pores. If he is really his omega, it would happen naturally. He was also Sammy's teacher who had already gotten through the puppy's shell. There is no way that Dean was messing with Sammy's happiness because he couldn't be patient.

 

He finally reached his place of business, the Lawrence Police Department, and walked in. He was told by the chief the homicide detectives here didn't need to dress up, just be presentable when going into public. That, and no one should be wearing their best shoes if a suspect decided to run for it. That sounded like Dean's dress code already: boots, jeans, T-shirts and an overshirt. Didn't mean that he wasn't nervous wearing what he was on his first day on the job.

 

He pulled himself out of his thoughts and walked into the building. He walked into the front door and straight to the man in uniform manning the front desk.

 

"How may I help you, sir?" the man said with interest. It wouldn't surprise if he practically saw no one in his position and was excited to actually be talking to anyone.

 

"Dean Winchester, the new homicide detective."

 

"Do you're the new detective. I'm Samandriel. I'm new here too, so I'm starting at the bottom. I was wondering who the new detective was to be able to skip everything."

 

"Well, I did pretty well at my old department before having to move here.

 

"That's sooo cool. Well, I was told to tell you to go to the third floor and go all the way to the right to see Chief Singer. He's expecting you around this time anyway, so you don't have to rush if you want to take your time."

 

Samandriel said this all in one breath, racing to get everything out. As soon as he was done, the kid was red in the face and gasping for air.

 

"Thanks, dude," Dean settled for saying before hitting the elevator button. It immediately opened and Dean walked into the metal contraption. The elevation creaked from old age as it went up. The doors opened again and Dean could see why. The bullpen in front of him looked like one from an old procedural with whiteboards covering the majority of the space between cubicles instead of expensive technology that served the exact same purpose. It wasn't what he was used to, but it immediately felt like home.

 

He quickly made his way to where he was told Chief Singer's office was. The frost tinted door was closed when he got to it, but he could see the lights on from the inside. He knocked on the door three times in quick succession. Dean heard a gruff voice beckon him inside, and he followed the voice's instructions.

 

At the large desk that took up a large portion of the room sat an older beta with wispy whiting hair on his head and a beard that was greyed out. His desk was piled haphazardly with papers and folders not quite lining up in stacks. The beta was working on a short stack of papers in front of him. As Dean filled up the entrance way, the beta wordlessly gestured him toward a chair standing in front of him.

 

Dean sat down and then the beta finally looked up at him. "Detective Winchester, I was given a pretty good recommendation from your former chief, although he didn't quite understand why you needed the transfer. I didn't either, to be honest."

 

"I got custody of my brother after my parents... I decided it would be best if I moved into my parent's old place instead of uprooting his life even more. He stayed with me there for a while, but he wasn't happy. I wasn't really expecting him to be, but he was getting worse. I thought it wouldn't hurt moving to a place that he knew."

 

"The two of you have quite an age difference."

 

"Yeah, but he's my baby brother. I would do anything for the pup."

 

This was obviously a good answer for the beta who had a proud scent coming off of him. Dean had a feeling that he would never say anything about it; you just had to know that you had done well. At that point, a knock had sounded and opened the door. Turning around, Dean saw a gruff alpha with a bit of stomach and a full beard. He was also dressed similarly to Dean. Instead of a plaid overshirt and T-shirt, he was wearing a denim jacket and a very casual button down.

 

"Detective Lafitte, meet your new partner. Make nice," Chief Singer said.

 

"You sure, Chief. Think two alphas can handle themselves," the alpha said jovially.

 

"I said to make nice."

 

This time the chief dismissed them was a wave of his hand. Dean got up from the chair and walked out, making sure to close the door behind him. Outside the two men met up.

 

"Dean," he said while holding out his hand.

 

"Benny," the other said, shaking Dean's hand in return. "Well, you've come at the perfect time. Nothin' goin' on except for paperwork."

 

"Unless you just jinxed us."

 

"Hopefully nothin' too soon. I should take you to your new desk so that you can do something about it. It's an eyesore."

 

Once the two reached their area, Dean could see why. While all of the other desks are some life to it in the form of pictures of desks, a few pieces of shrubbery or just nicknacks to keep someone occupied, his desk was completely empty. The dark brown wood was completely exposed with a single chair under it, another chair in front and an old computer resting diagonally to everything. It was the typical setup of any desk. Dean only hoped that he would have brought some things from home to stare at with nothing to do.

 

"I'll get to making it less of an eyesore tomorrow. Deal?"

 

"Deal, brotha."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Short chapter, but I guess Benny didn't jinx them.


	3. Chapter 3

Dean had an interesting day at work. The majority of it was spent getting into the system and filling out insurance information. By the time that he had finished, it was time to pick Sam up from school.  
  
He raced out of the police department, sparing a wave a Benny on the way out. He jumped into his car and slightly speed out of the parking lot. Looking at the time, he realized that we would just be making it for final pick up for the after-school program. It would be a bad sign if on the first day he was late.  
  
The parking lot was empty when he made it to the school sparing a couple of cars sprinkled throughout. He walked straight into the school, walking a route led my signs leading to the gymnasium. As he opened the door, he saw kids running around. Looking towards a corner of the room, he saw Sam on a beanbag chair reading yet another book. Not really wanting to interrupt him, he stayed there in the walkway watching his little brother read.  
  
"Can I help you?" a voiced sounded from behind Dean.  
  
Turning around, he saw the blue-eyed beauty from this morning. Suddenly, he sense went into overdrive, trying to breathe in the sweet scent from earlier. Before he realized, he took a step forward. After doing so, he saw a look of fear reach the omega's eyes. He immediately took two steps away from him. No reason to make to scare him.  
  
"I'm here to pick up my brother, Sam," Dean told him.  
  
"Yes," the omega said softly. "I remember you from earlier. Sorry, I didn't really introduce myself. I'm Mr. Novak. I'm your brother's teacher. I hope to have a pleasant year with Sam in my class."  
  
Dean expected Mr. Novak to continue, but he stayed quiet. Dean was about to ask him a question when he heard yelling from behind him.  
  
"DEAN!!!" Sam yelled at him, racing towards him. Dean quickly turned around in order to catch to running kid.  
  
"How are you doing buddy?" Dean asked him.  
  
"I had sooooooo much fun today."  
  
Dean was going to ask Mr. Novak more questions but realized that the man was no longer there. Shrugging it off, Dean carried Sam out of the room, signed him out, and back to the Impala.  
  
Buckling themselves in, Dean asked, "Buddy, what do you want for dinner?"  
  
"Broccoli and carrots," Sam responded, looking outside.  
  
Dean shook his head at his super weird brother. "You need protein, buddy."  
  
"Nuggets?"  
  
"Good choice, kid. I was thinking the Sam exact thing."  
  
It was a short ride home to the new house that Dean had recently bought for them. It was near his parent's house, but not quite. He didn't think Sam, much less himself, could have handled it. The house had yet to gain their scents and still smelled sterile from being on the market. There were boxes still surrounding different corners from yet being fully moved into.  
  
Sam and Dean walked into the house hand and hand. Dean angled himself forward, not quite used to being able to smell himself in his own house. Deciding the coast was clear, Dean walked out of the walkway, taking his boots off while Sam bolted his way into the kitchen.  
  
Walking into the kitchen, Dean saw that Sam was in the process of unloading his backpack on the kitchen table.  
  
"You already have homework?"  
  
"Yes. I need to catch up with everyone else."  
  
"But it's only your first day."  
  
"I know. Mr. Novak said I didn't have to do it all tonight. But I don't want to work on it during the weekend."  
  
Dean completely agreed with Sam's logic. Dean remembered when he was a kid, he would have been in his room playing with his toys rather than doing his homework. Dean started to prepare dinner as he continued to question Sam.  
  
"How are you liking Mr. Novak?"  
  
"He's very nice. He let me read until class started. After school, he found more books for me to read."  
  
Books were truly the way to his brother's heart.  
  
"Why were you staring at him?" Sam asked him out of nowhere.  
  
"What?"  
  
"I saw you staring at Mr. Novak. Why?  
  
"It's grown-up stuff," was the only thing Dean could respond with.  
  
Sam wasn't impressed by that answer, but let it go. Dinner was ready soon after. The two continued to talk about their day throughout dinner. Soon after, Sam and Dean got ready for bed, letting the day leave them behind.


	4. Chapter 4

Weeks later, Sam had finally gotten into a routine. Their house was finally moved in. Paint colors were chosen and finished drying for the final room. The house finally smelled of them, and it settled Dean's instincts some.  
  
Sam was back from another fun-filled day at school, while Dean was bored out of his mind at his job. It was terrible that he wanted something to happen, but he would like to feel like he's helping someone. He needed to feel needed.  
  
Dean was cooking dinner for the two of them when Sam interrupted his train of thought.  
  
"Dean? I need you to sign this," the young pup stated.  
  
"What's it for?" Dean was curious. It probably wasn't for trouble. Sam didn't even know what that was.  
  
"So I can go to the a-quar-e-um. Nr. Novak says it's a place with lots of fish. And sharks. I want to see a shark. They're really big."  
  
"Sure thing, kiddo. Just let me finish dinner."  
  
"We were told parents could come with us. Do you think you can come?"  
  
"I don't think so, kiddo. I'm still the new guy. I can't really take days off yet."  
  
"Maybe we can go some other time," Sam said with a disappointed tone.  
  
Dean silently finished making dinner. He wished he could spend more time with his little brother, but he was stressed by work, moving into the house. Things that would take his mind from blue eyes. To himself, he promised that he and Sam would have an amazing weekend together since he wasn't going to be on call.  
  


* * *

  
  
The week went by smoothly. Work went by slowly as usual. Sam had an amazing time on his trip to the aquarium. That night, he told Dean about everything they did and saw. The two went to sleep on the couch in the middle of Sam telling one of his stories.  
  
The two woke up with the sun shining directly in their eyes. Dean quickly woke up, feeling stiff in this back. Sam, curled into his older brother's arms more, trying to go back to sleep.  
  
Dean reached out for his phone that was on the coffee table. The dying phone read that it was just after nine. He shook his brother, trying to wake him up.  
  
"Sammy, buddy. You gotta wake up."  
  
"Don't wanna," he mumbled.  
  
"Hey, we're supposed to be having fun today. We can do anything?"  
  
"Anything?" Sam asked, peaking one of his eyes open.  
  
"Yes, anything."  
  
"Even the library?"  
  
"If that's what you want to do."  
  
Sam quickly jumped off the couch and made his way upstairs. Soon after, Dean heard the shower running from one of the upstairs bathrooms. Getting up, stretching his back, and went upstairs to get ready for their day together.  
  


* * *

  
  
When they arrived at the library, it was still fairly early and hardly anyone else was there. They got interrupted on the way in by a librarian telling them that there was going to be a story time at eleven. Sam dragged Dean by his hand over to the kid's section of the library. Along the way, Dean was assessing all the ways out. The library was newer and had emergency exits every couple of yards.  
  
The kid's area had a large sitting area that was directly in the middle. It was viewable from all of the different sections. Dean helped Sam collect a couple of books and bring them to a spot.  
  
"Stay here until I get back," he told his little brother, pretty sure that he wasn't heard.  
  
Dean decided to go to the mystery section. Usually, he would find several things wrong with how the police were portrayed in these, but it was part of the fun. Although, what he wouldn't give to have a little paperwork to do as the characters.  
  
He collected a couple of books that looked interesting to him and walked back to where Sam was sitting. It looked like the pup didn't even realize that he had left. They sat there for a while off into their own little world when a bunch of noise started. More people had started to crowd the area. It seemed like the story time had started.  
  
Dean was going to continue to read one of his selected books when the most delicious smell entered his nose. Snapping his head up, he saw Mr. Novak sit in front of the group of people now settled in. Dean closed the book and paid attention to what was taking place in front of him.  
  
Dean had no clue what book was being read, but he let the voice wash over him. This lasted for thirty minutes, but it was the calmest the alpha had felt in longest time. Soon, the room was filled with clapping, and Dean quickly joined in.  
  
Soon after, the people in the area were dispersing. Beside him, Dean felt Sam move from the beside him. Looking up, he saw the pup running towards his teacher.  
  
"Mr. Novak! Mr. Novak!" the pup yelled at the man.  
  
"Hello, Sam. How are you today?" Mr. Novak responded.  
  
"Good. I loved to story."  
  
"I'm glad you enjoyed it. Who are you here with?"  
  
"Dean. He said we could do anything today, and I chose to come here. I'm glad a did. I like listening to you read."  
  
At this point, Dean had walked up to the two talking. It took a while for the two of them to notice him walking up to them. They were both in their own little world talking about the story Mr. Novak read to them. It wasn't until the omega took in a deep breathe while the pup was losing his that he noticed Dean's presence. Dean instantly stopped where he was.  
  
Quietly, he said, "Hi."  
  
This time, instead of freezing up like he used to, the looked into his eyes with a slight blush. "Hello, Dean."  
  
Over the last couple of weeks, the omega had been getting more comfortable in his presence. He still wasn't letting the alpha into reaching distance, but it was enough at this point.  
  
"Let me show you the books I got," the pup told the adults.  
  
The two adults just stared at each other for a bit.  
  
"I don't know many people who spend time at the library on their days off," Mr. Novak told him.  
  
"I told him we would do whatever he wanted. He chose this place. I'm just happy he hasn't discovered the bookstore, yet, but it's just a matter of time. I just know it. I don't know how I'm going to budget that out."  
  
"What do you do for work?"  
  
"I'm a detective for the police department."  
  
"What department?"  
  
"Homicide."  
  
"My brother does the same thing."  
  
"You have a brother?"  
  
"Yes. He's older than me and very overprotective."  
  
"I would be too over you," Dean said without really thinking.  
  
They both two paused. Dean was about to say something, backpedal somewhat, but Sam came rushing over with books toppling over in the stack. He went straight to his teacher, showing him each and every one of them. To his credit, he pulled all of his attention to the pup, not acting at all like something weird had happened.  
  
Before long, Sam stomach started grumbling. He looked at his older brother, eyes pleading.  
  
"Yes, we can go eat. Let's just check these books out."  
  
Sam quickly gathered up all the books and stood up. When the adults started to walk behind him, the pup started to lead the way.  
  
Whispering, the omega asked him, "Did you mean it?"  
  
"What?" Dean whispered back.  
  
"What you said earlier."  
  
"Every word. I didn't mean to be too forward though."  
  
"I don't think you were," the omega said with a gigantic blush crossing his face.  
  
"You don't think so, Mr. Novak?" Dean asked him cheekily.  
  
"Right now, I think you have a pup to take care of."  
  
They had gotten to the front counter. Sam was there trying to scan all of his books at the self-checkout counter.  
  
"Goodbye, Sam," the man told the boy. "I'll see you in class Monday."  
  
"Bye, bye," the boy called over his shoulder, too busy trying to scan all of his books.  
  
"Goodbye, Dean."  
  
"See ya."  
  
The omega slowly made his way off back into the library. The alpha made sure to get his library card out for when the pup finished checking himself out. The two bagged their books up in the bags provided and made their way out, figuring out what they would do for the rest of the day, all the while Dean was floating on cloud nine.


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> First thing first: There is a trigger warning for this chapter. There is a description of a child death. It's not too graphic, but I'm still going to mention it. It's one sentence, but I still thought I should warn people.
> 
> Also, this is a police drama filled chapter, and the next one will also probably be one. All my knowledge of procedure is from watching cop shows on television so please don't judge too harshly. There's a couple of time jumps because I hate writing driving scenes.

The next workday, Dean was still on cloud nine. He practically floated into the precinct that Monday morning. He said "hello" to Samandriel was he walked by his desk. He jogged his way up the stairs to his floor and skirted to his desk. He was logging into his computer when Benny was walking to his station.  
  
"What's with the stupid look you have on your face," he asked.  
  
"I don't have a stupid look on my face. You have a stupid look on your face."  
  
"Seriously, brotha? You look like you're love struck."  
  
"I don't know what you're talking about."  
  
"Sure, sure. Don't tell me a thing," Benny told Dean as he turned towards his desk.  
  
After another half-hour of doing paperwork, Cheif Singer came out of his office.  
  
"Lafitte! Winchester!" came his voice across the bullpen, starling everyone. "I got a case for you two."  
  
The two immediately stood up and walked over to his office.  
  
"What do you have for us, boss?" Benny asked, getting there first.  
  
"I'll be honest with you boys, this is going to be a tough one. Right now it seems like an open-and-shut has but I still wouldn't put any of the newbies on it."  
  
Dean showed up to take the case file out of the chief's hand. The two went downstairs getting into one of their department specified cars. Dean gave Benny the address while he sat in the passenger seat, reading some of the case details.  
  
Pulling up into the scene of the crime, Dean looked around the neighborhood. He whistled at the large house that was in front of him. Mansion would have been a more appropriate term.  
  
"Didn't know that this existed here," he mentioned to Benny.  
  
"Apparently this is a good place for rich folks to move to. I never understood it either. They put money into the schools though."  
  
They walked into the house, knowing what they were going to see, yet not completely believing. Since the scene was so new, they had no pictures yet. According to the preliminary report, the crime scene was practically sparkling still. There wasn't any blood splatter covering the walls of the front entrance, but there were plenty of crime scene techs roaming around.  
  
"What can you tell us?" Benny talked to the one who looked seemed to be in charge.  
  
"It doesn't seem like a robbery gone wrong. There are no traces that anything was stolen. The door shows no signs of a break-in."  
  
"Singer said that he didn't want to give this case to just anyone," Dean questioned. "This doesn't seem too bad."  
  
"We were thinking that too until we saw upstairs. Let me show you."  
  
The tech led them up the spiral staircase the sat in the middle of the home. They passed by several open doors, a variety of bedrooms and a bathroom. One thing Dean noticed right away was that many of the bedrooms were dirty with kid's toys.  
  
"Do children live here?" he asked.  
  
"I was just getting to that," the tech said.  
  
The man led them into the master bedroom. Laid in the middle of the floor was a woman, dressed in a nightgown. The back of her head was smashed open. But what really got their attention was a crib in the corner covered in blood. Dean and Benny immediately felt their stomachs drop. The looked towards each other, both green in the face, and inched over to the crib.  
  
Once there, they were horrified by what they saw. There was, in fact, a small pup in the crib. The pup was blue in the face, head tilted in an impossible direction, and dent on top of the cranium.  
  
Dean felt his breakfast come back. He put his hand up to his face and ran out of the room. He went down the hall, pacing it back and forth down the hall taking deep breathes, trying not to see his breakfast for the second time. Benny followed him soon after.  
  
"I've never seen anything like that, man," Dean told his partner.  
  
"I still can't believe how depraved some people can be."  
  
After a couple minutes, the two lost some of the green that was surrounding their face. The tech soon came out of the room with a picture frame.  
  
"I think you should like at this," he said handing the frame to them.  
  
The frame held a picture containing a happy family. The two adults were holding each other, with gigantic smiles on their faces. Surrounding them were two school-aged pups hugging their legs and another one held in his mother's arms.  
  
"Is there any chance that the other kids were at school?" Benny asked the tech.  
  
He solemnly shook his head. "We found two backpacks in the kitchen. Considering the other victim, the guy in the picture, was also still in pajamas, we believe that they were woken up earlier this morning, killed the guy, came up here, killed the mom and... pup, before taking the other children. Why? We'll leave that to you."  
  
"Who called it in?" Dean asked.  
  
"A neighbor who noticed the door was wide open. Called it in thinking there was a robbery in place. When patrol came here, saw the bodies, they called in us and homicide."  
  
Benny took the frame out of the techs hand, putting on gloves since he left the bedroom. He was busy studying the photo with an interested look on his face.  
  
"What do you see?"  
  
"I'm looking at the kids. The older two look nothing like their dad."  
  
"Really?" Dean looked over his shoulder to look at the picture. "Maybe they just look more like their mom?"  
  
"Look at the nose on the boy. Neither parent has that. Look at the jaw on the girl. Also the hair. I don't remember much science, but what are the chances that two brown-haired people have two blonde children?"  
  
"Probably slim to none," Dean answered. "I would say that someone what their kids back."  
  
"Thanks," Benny said, handing the picture back to the tech. Turning back to Dean he said, "I think it's time you met Charlie," before walking towards an exit.  
  
"Who's Charlie?"  
  
"She works in the basement of the precinct. If you want information, you go to her."  
  


* * *

  
Benny knocked on an ominous looking door. The basement was dark and slightly damp smelling.  
  
"Enter!" a voice beckoned from the other side of the door.  
  
Benny opened the door and ushered Dean inside. Sitting on the opposite side of the room was a desk with two screens. On the wall were three more screens. In front of them was an omega with long stark red hair typing something up.  
  
"Hey, Charlie," Benny called. "What's up."  
  
"Nothing much. What's up with you?"  
  
"Been showing my new partner around."  
  
At that statement, the woman turned around in her chair and looked at Dean with a serious look on her face. With a straight face, she said "Star Wars. Originals or prequels?"  
  
"Originals, no doubt," he responded.  
  
With a smile on her face, she held out her hand and introducing herself. "Charlie Bradbury."  
  
"Dean Winchester."  
  
"We're going to be friends, Dean. I just know it." Her face turning serious again, he asked, "how can I help you, guys?"  
  
"Do you find out anything about the Rodwin family on Meredith?" Benny asked.  
  
Charlie turned around again and started typing. Within a few minutes, she had several pictures on her screens, from driver's license and family photos.  
  
"Alrighty, two years ago, Daniel Rodwin married then Lily Dunham. Lily Dunham had two children from a previous marriage," she said as she continued to type. "Uh oh. I found her name on a couple of police reports."  
  
"What for?" Dean asked.  
  
"Domestic violence. Seems her ex-husband, Donald, beat her up pretty good. He spent that last five years in jail. Got out on parole a couple of months ago."  
  
The two detectives looked at each other from over her shoulder. "With a guy like that, it would be a surprise he would kill he would kill his ex and her new pup," Benny told Dean.  
  
"Kill her pup!" Charlier screamed at the two. "What kind of monster does that?"  
  
"The worst kind," Dean responded.  
  
Soon there was the sound of a printer running. Charlie got up to it and collected all of the pages she printed. Turning to the two men, she held the pages out. "Here's his last place of residency. It was the same place I found his last phone call took place. Here are his car and registration information. I already have an APB out on him and sent a message to his parole officer."  
  
Taking the papers from her hand, Dean asked her "How did you get all of this done so quickly?"  
  
"I'm queen. Now shoo. Get the bastard."  
  
"Yes, ma'am," Benny told her, as they left the room. Benny handed the keys to Dean, knowing that his partner would get them there in no time at all.  
  


* * *

  
They pulled up to the run-down apartment complex. The walked up to the front desk, looking at the bored looking landlord. Running up to him, they flashed their badges and asked: "What apartment does Donald Dunham live in?"  
  
The man nearly jumped out of his seat. He turned in his chair and looked up the room in the computer. "5F," he squeaked to the two of them.  
  
The detectives ran towards the stairwell and raced inside. The ran up four flights of stairs, reaching the fifth floor. Reaching the door, they slightly paused trying to catch their breath before they talked to their main suspect. Opening the door, the walked on both sides of the hall, looking at the door markers.  
  
5A  
  
5B  
  
5C  
  
The two officers suddenly stopped. They heard screaming coming from farther down the hall. It sounded child-like. They immediately pulled their guns out of their holsters as they continued down the hall. A woman came out of her apartment, surely going to tell someone two calm their children, when she saw Dean and Benny coming down the hall. Her eyes opened up wide in shock.  
  
"Go back inside please, ma'am," Dean told her as Benny flashed her his badge.  
  
The woman quickly nodded and went back inside. As they asked the door, they heard the door being bolted closed. The men continued down the hallway as the screaming got louder. They finally got to room 5F and they could confirm that it was the source of the screaming.  
  
Benny knocked on the door. "Mr. Dunham? Would you open up."  
  
"Go away," came from the other side.  
  
"We can't do that," Benny responded. "Either you open up the door or we're breaking it down."  
  
They didn't get another response. Dean held up his had with all five fingers up. He started to count down on his hand, as Benny got ready to kick the door down, hoping it wasn't bolted closed. As Dean now had a closed fist up, Benny kicked the door in. It splintered in half and Dean went inside, gun raised, as Benny followed.  
  
Standing in the middle of the layout was a man yelling into his phone, barely noticing that his door had been kicked in. He was yelling something about how he needed to get out of town, quickly.  
  
"Freeze!" the two detectives yelled at him. The man quickly turned around and dropped his phone out of his hand.  
  
"Put your hands on top of your head and don't move," Benny told him. "Go check on the kids," he motioned for Dean to move, keeping his gun aimed for Donald's center of mass.  
  
Dean quickly holstered his weapon and walked behind the pissed-off alpha whose annoyed pheromones were now filling up the room. He opened the first door he saw, assuming it was the bedroom. The screaming sounded louder as he opened the last barrier for the sound.  
  
Turning inside, he saw the two kids tied together on the bed. When they heard the door open, they turned towards the sound. The screaming soon turned to whimpering as they saw the tall alpha looming over them.  
  
Trying to make himself seem smaller, Dean hunched himself over. Talking quietly to the kids, he said "you guys don't have to be scared. I'm with the police. You're safe now."  
  
"He hurted our mommy," the young boy told him through sniffles.  
  
"I know," Dean told them. "But you don't have to worry about him now. Now, how about I untie you guys."  
  
"Please," the older girl whispered.  
  
Dean walked closer to them as he got prepared to untie them. Unfortunately, that bastard was decent at tieing knots. He would have to use a knife to get them separated. He got prepared to take his switchblade out. "I'm going to have to cut you guys out, but I won't hurt you. I promise." He quickly sliced through the rope and the two were soon separated. They turned around and started to hug each other.  
  
"Now what are your names?"  
  
"I'm Christie. My brother's Steve."  
  
"Hi. I'm Dean. Did he hurt you at all?"  
  
"No. He just tugged at our arms."  
  
"Where's Johnny?" the young boy asked.  
  
"Johnny?" Dean asked.  
  
"He's our little brother," Christie answered.  
  
Dean felt his stomach drop yet again. He didn't want to answer the question but knew they deserved to know, probably not from him. There would be a representative from Pup Protective Services that would be way better at answering.  
  
"How about we get you guys out of here?" he asked them, trying to change the subject.  
  
They quickly nodded. Dean remembered the cuffed perp in the other room. "Wait here for a second," he told them.  
  
Walking back to the living area, the man still had his hands on his head turned away from him. Dean pulled the man's arms behind him and cuffed him as he read him his rights.   
  
"Donald Dunham, you are under arrest for three counts of homicide and two counts of kidnapping. You have the right to remain silent. Anything you say can and will be used against you in a court of law. You have the right to talk to a lawyer and have him present with you while you are being questioned. If you cannot afford to hire a lawyer, one will be appointed to represent you before any questioning if you wish. You can decide at any time to exercise these rights and not answered or make any statement. Do you understand each of these rights as I have explained them to you."  
  
"Fuck off, pig," was the response.  
  
Closing the cuffs further closed than necessary, he asked again. "I said, do you understand these rights."  
  
"Yes, okay, yes. Loosen the cuffs."  
  
Dean pushed him onto the chair that was closest to him, not even loosening the cuffs any.  
  
Benny then moved to holster his weapon. "Are the kids okay?"  
  
"There fine. I'm going to take them out of here and call some beat cops."  
  
"Sure thing, brotha."  
  
Dean walked back into the bedroom to led the kids out as they ran to attach themselves to his legs. It was slightly awkward to move, but he made it work, knowing he wouldn't get the kids to let go of him. The quickly left the room, slowly made their way down the stairs and out of the apartment complex.  
  
While outside, Dean unlocked the car door and led the kids into the back seat. He then turned the car on, blasting the air conditioning, before calling someone to come take the perp. He also called to have Pup Protective Services meet them at the precinct, ready for them to return. He then turned around trying to get the kids to talk. They were hugging each other intensely and off in their own little world. Dean decided to leave them to reconnect with each other, the two severely needing it.  
  
Sirens were soon heard coming closer to them. A patrol car soon parked next to them. Getting out of the vehicle, Dean explains what was going on, needing a perp to get to the station but wanting to keep the kids away from him. The two nodded and made their way into the building.  
  
Dean got back into the vehicle and leaned against the steering wheel. This day couldn't get any worse.  
  
The passenger door open later. Dean lifted his head up and looked toward Benny who was now getting in. He just looked about tired as he was. Outside, they heard Donald being rowdy with the officers ushering him to the patrol car.  
  
"Let's get out of here," Benny sighed.  
  
Agreeing, Dean started the car. He turned around and told the two pups to buckle themselves in. The two quickly followed his instructions, and he put the car in reverse, quickly leaving the parking lot.


	6. Chapter 6

The drive to the precinct was long and quiet. The only thing breaking the silence was the occasional sniffle. The drive couldn't be long or short enough.  
  
Pulling into the parking lot, the building seemed a lot bleaker than it had at any other time. Benny was the first to get out, while Dean turned the car off. Benny opened the back door to let the children out, but they refused to move. When Dean pulled open the other door, the two children couldn't get out of the car faster and reattached themselves to his legs.  
  
They walked into the building, using the handicap ramp for the ease. Once inside the building, Samandriel saw them by him.  
  
"Hi, Benny. Hi, Dean," he said joyfully. "How was your day? Who do you have with you?"  
  
Taking the lead, Benny said, "This really isn't a good time."  
  
Samandriel heard the hurt and his voice and didn't question them further. The younger man slowly sat back down and looked towards his computer.  
  
The two detectives made their way to the elevator, thankful that someone had gotten around to getting it fixed. The elevator opened soon after pressing the button and the two men and children walked inside. Riding the elevator up, you could literally feel the tension in the room. The elevator door opened up to an empty bullpen. It was just about closing, so everyone was probably making themselves scarce before getting another case.  
  
As the two detectives walked towards their desks, they saw bright red hair sitting at Benny's desk. Hearing them walk towards her, Charlie turned toward them. She had a grim look on her face,  
  
"What do you have for us, Red?" Benny asked her.  
  
"Not much. I finally got in touch with Donald's parole officer; he should be coming in anytime now if he was giving a proper estimate. After calling Pup Protective Services, a representative hasn't come over yet. They are overworked right now. But in great news, I found a next of kin. Daniel was an only child, but Lily had a sister. I can't call her yet, of course, but it will save some time." She finished off my handing Benny a folder of information. Looking towards Dean and the kids, she said "There are snacks in the break room. I got the good stuff," she winked.  
  
"Thanks, Charlie," Dean replied. He then made his way towards the break room. On the table were an assortment of chips and juice boxes. "You can something to eat if you want and sit on the couch if you want."  
  
The children tentatively let go of his legs. The slowly walked towards the food, turned back around as if confirming that it was okay, before making a selection and sitting down. The eat-in silence. They hadn't talked since they left the room they were trapped in. Dean sat at the table and grabbed a bag. In the rush of the day, they forgot about lunch. He was just finishing the bag when the door opened to a person he didn't recognize.  
  
"Detective Winchester?" the alpha woman asked, holding out her hand.  
  
"Yes, that's me," he shook her head.  
  
"I'm Dorothy Baum with Pup Protective Services. I was notified that you had two children in your custody. Have you questioned them at all?"  
  
"No. They haven't even spoken since we got to them."  
  
"Have you told them any information about what occurred today?"  
  
"No. I wouldn't even know where to start."  
  
"This is a great start. I cannot tell you how many times that happens without a child representative being present. Now, I would like to talk to the children in private first, and then we can proceed to possible questions that you have."  
  
"Will do, ma'am." Dean left the room, making sure to close the door tightly behind him. He walked over to his co-workers that were still present. "Has the bastard made it here yet?"  
  
"He's in processing right now. He should be up shortly," Benny responded.  
  
"I would rather he be in an interrogation room before we move the kids out of there."  
  
"I can make sure that's done," Benny left to see where in the process their perp was.  
  
Dean sat on the edge of his desk, waiting until he could work again. He looked over at Charlie who was still sitting in Benny's chair with an awestruck look on her face.  
  
"What is wrong with you?" he asked her.  
  
"Nothing. Nothing at all," Charlie sighed. "I thought meeting Hermione would be the best thing ever, but this takes the cake."  
  
"I'm still confused."  
  
"Well, Hermione is the best girl, but I think found someone who bested the best girl."  
  
"So... you have a major crush on Ms. Baum."  
  
"I mean, how could I not. That serious look in her eye... I can't handle it."  
  
Dean needed to get her head on straight. "How about we remember that she's here because two kids just lost their parents."  
  
Charlie immediately calmed down. "I'm sorry. You're right."  
  
"It's fine. You can finish your fangirling after we're done."  
  
"Got it, Captain."  
  
By this point, Benny had come back up with Donald in handcuffs behind his back. He was quick to escort him to an interrogation room, that we would have to pass both Dean and Charlie to get to. He gave Dean a dirty look as his passed, huffing in a deep breathe. As soon as he turned around, staring Charlie dead in the eye after giving her a look over.  
  
"So the pigs have a little bitch that helps them through the workday. Do you service these alphas when they're stressed out?" Donald said with a laugh in his voice.   
  
Benny moved to push Donald through faster, to stop looking at her, but Charlie made sure she had the last word.  
  
"Yes, I do help them through the workday. I'm the little bitch that found you."  
  
The smirk instantly fell off of his face and Benny was able to maneuver him faster through straight into an interrogation room. Just as that door closed, the one to the break room opened. Dean hopped off of his desk, grabbing a voice recorder that he kept on his desk.  
  
Ms. Baum made her way over to him with the children trailing behind her. They were holding hands with more tears rolling down their cheeks. The woman stopped right in front of him.  
  
"I have informed Christie and Steve of what occurred in the best way that would be easiest for them to digest until they're older. When I got here, Ms. Bardbury informed me of their closest relative. I asked if the children would like to stay with her, they agreed.  
  
"Now, you may proceed with your questioning. I will be in the room the entire time. I have determined that the two of them should stay together. If I feel like a question would be too traumatic for the children, I will ask that you move onto another question. I will not have these children be put through more than they already have. Do I make myself clear?"  
  
"Alright. If you would follow me to the conference room?"  
  
He turned towards the conference room. It was on the same side of the bullpen as the interrogation room, but luckily in the complete opposite direction. He opened the door and waited for Ms. Baum and the children to enter first before following them in. Once seated comfortably, Dean started.  
  
"Alright, guys. I'm going to record the conversation we are going to have. It's to make sure that you don't have to be asked about these things again. Now, some of these questions are going to seem really silly, but us grownups have to ask. Are you ready to start?"  
  
"Yes," Christie said timidly. Her brother shook his head firmly.  
  
Pressing the record button, Dean started the interview.  
  
"Will the two of you state your names and ages?"  
  
"I'm Christie, and I'm eight.  
  
"I'm Steve. I is four."  
  
"Present with them is a representative from Pup Protective Services, Dorothy Baum. She will be present through the entire interview," Dean said to the voice recorder. Then to the children, he asked: "Do you remember what woke you up this morning?"  
  
Christie started. "I heard yelling downstairs. It was really loud. I sneaked out of my room and looked down the stairs. I saw the man who took us yelling at Daddy as he was trying to get him out of the house. I ran back to my room and hid under my bed."  
  
"The bad man was taking me," Steve said.  
  
At least the little guy was oblivious to what occurred that morning.  
  
"Christie, do you remember what the man was yelling at your Dad."  
  
"He kept yelling about stealing someone. I didn't understand. After that, I hid. I covered my ears so I couldn't hear them anymore."  
  
"Do you remember what happened afterward?"  
  
"Later I heard Mommy screaming. I wanted to go to her, but I was too scared. After that, the bad man came into my room. I stayed as quiet as I could but he looked under the bed. I ran to Mommy's room where I saw her...," Christie took a look at her brother before she continued. "I saw her sleeping on the floor. I just stood there and he got me. He then went into Steve's room and woke him up."  
  
"It really hurt when he grabbed me," Steve inserted.  
  
"Then the bad man took us outside and put us into his car. We tried to scream but he covered our mouths."  
  
"Do you remember where you went afterward?" Dean asked.  
  
"I had to potty," Steve mentioned. "We stopped near trees and went potty there."  
  
"After that, he took us to the apartment," Christie told him. "He carried us in. We screamed but no one came out to help us. He took us into the room and pushed us in, telling us to put on the clothes on the bed. We did so to get out of our night clothes. He closed the door and left us there."  
  
"We tried to leave," Steve interjected.  
  
"What do you mean by that?" Dean asked  
  
"We ran really fast. He caught us," Steve said dejectedly.  
  
"After that," Christie said, "He tied us together. He yelled at us saying he was our dad."  
  
"He's not Daddy," Steve said sternly.  
  
"He left us again, so we kept yelling," Christie continued. "My voice hurt. Then you came in."  
  
Steve nodded in agreement.  
  
Dean decided that this was a good place to stop. To the recorder, he said, "This concludes the interview." Pressing stop, Dean felt himself relax again. "You guys did great. Hopefully, you'll never have to go through that again."  
  
"Detective Winchester," Ms. Baum spoke up. "May I talk to you outside?"  
  
"Of course." To the children, he said, "We'll be right outside. You'll be able to see us through the windows."  
  
The two adults left the room. Ms. Baum talked first. "Thank you for not making that very painful."  
  
"Well, Ms. Baum..."  
  
"Please call me Dorothy," she interrupted.  
  
"Call me Dean, then. How did you explain it to the kids?"  
  
"I told them that their parents had to leave them. They wished that they could bring the two of them with and that Johnny had to go with them. For younger kids, it usually works until they are old enough to realize what happened."  
  
"It didn't work for Christie."  
  
"Yeah, I saw that too. Thankfully she kept it to herself."  
  
"So, what are next steps?  
  
"In the other room, I went ahead and called their aunt. The earliest she'll be able to get here is tomorrow morning. I also called some people that are usually good about keeping kids for the night, but they're full. So, I need to figure something out."  
  
At this point, Benny had walked out of the interrogation room and toward the two of them.  
  
"That was fast," Dean mentioned.  
  
"Well, he wasn't even trying to hide anything," Benny explained. "Blah, blah. She shouldn't have left him. Blah, blah. How dare she get a new alpha? Blah, blah. How dare she have a kid with him? Blah, blah. He had a right to his kids. You know, the usual."  
  
"That certainly backs up what pups said," Dorothy mentioned to the two men.  
  
"So, what now?" Benny asked her.  
  
"I try to find somewhere for them to go for the night."  
  
"I could take them in for the night as a last-ditch effort." After Dorothy gave him a strange look, he continued. "I'm raising my five-year-old brother. That way they won't be alone for the night. They also seem quite comfortable with me already."  
  
Dorothy took his words into consideration. "I'll call my boss. See what he thinks."  
  
She stepped away from the men and turned around.  
  
"So, the picture you have of you and the child is your brother?" Benny asked him.  
  
"Yeah, dude."  
  
"I thought he was your son. I was trying to figure out why you talked about your brother so much and not your son. This makes a lot more sense."  
  
"No, I wasn't hiding a secret child from you."  
  
"Glad to hear it, brotha."  
  
Dorothy walked back towards them. "My boss was okay with it since it's just for the night and there is another child living there. I will need your address. I will show up tomorrow morning the pick them up and get everything set up with their aunt. I'm going to assume that you are going to need another car seat at least. Luckily, I have a couple that I keep in the back of my car."  
  
Walking back into the room, she sat down next to the children. As the woman ask questions, the two children were nodding. Dorothy stood up after a couple of minutes and the children followed after her.  
  
"Alright," she said as she came back out of the room, "I'm going to direct you to my car, so I can give you a car seat," she said to Dean. Toward Benny, she said, "I'll be back up shortly to go over some of the paperwork that will go into this case."  
  
Dorothy didn't stay there. She quickly turned on her heels and walked away. Dean was quick to follow her with the children following like ducks after their mama.


	7. Chapter 7

Dean was adjusting the little booster seat in the Impala. There was a reason why he never took Sam's out; it was way too complicated to get in. Once he was satisfied with his job, he let Christie in the car to seat in the middle while her brother now sat beside her.  
  
"What's the other seat for?" Christie asked, looking confused at the extra car seat.  
  
"It's for my brother," Dean responded. "Were going to pick him up now."  
  
"Oh, okay."  
  
Dean closed the door behind the two and opened the driver's door. He got in, made himself comfortable and turned the engine on. With how stressful this day was, he was ready for it to be over.  
  
The ride to the school was quiet other than the soft melody coming from the speakers. It was fairly late, so they didn't have to drive through rush hour traffic. Soon after, they reached the school and pulled into a parking space near the front. Dean quickly turned the engine and got out. He opened the back door and ushered for the pups to come out.  
  
"Do with have to go?" Steve asked him, sleep running through his voice, as he moved to unbuckle himself.  
  
"I can't leave you guys out here, can I?"  
  
Steve thought about it for a moment and hopped out. Christie followed soon after. As soon as he closed the door behind them, the pups quickly grabbed his hands. 'At least they aren't hanging off of my legs,' Dean thought to himself. He escorted them into the school and down the halls on the path he had used so many times previously. Getting to the gymnasium doors, he took a deep breath and opened the doors.  
  
The doors led to an open expanse of wooden flooring. There were fewer kids than there usually were, but that was to be expected. Mr. Novak had his back towards them, watching the children from his usual seat.  
  
Hearing the doors close behind him, and probably knowing the scent that now entered the room, Mr. Novak turned around with a smirk on his face. "You're usually not this late, Dean." The smirk quickly fell of his face when he saw the children standing behind him. In fact, his expression closed itself off.  
  
"Dean! Dean!" Sam yelled through the room and ran up to them. Stopping a couple of feet short of his brother, he asked: "Who are they?"  
  
"This is Christie and Steve," he answered Sam. "They're going to be staying with us tonight."  
  
"Why can't their parents take care of them?"  
  
"Our parents are gone," Christie told him.  
  
"Oh," Sam said. "My parents are gone too. Do you want to see some of my books?"  
  
"Sure," Christie asked, she slowly started walking towards the younger boy, letting go of Dean's hand. Steve just continued standing beside Dean.  
  
"You can go with them if you want," he explained to the boy.  
  
Steve took up at Dean with a slightly scared look before letting go to his hand. The boy wobbled over to his sister and took her hand. Sam led them to his little reading nook. Dean watched them walk away, hoping that being with another child would lift their spirits.  
  
"So, they're not yours," a deep voice said behind him.  
  
He jumped, not expecting a voice to come from behind him. He turned around and saw Mr. Novak standing behind them.  
  
"No, they're just staying with me until their family picks them up."  
  
"I'm glad," he said. "Not that you shouldn't have children. That's not at all what I was saying. Just that..."  
  
Cutting off the stuttering teacher, Dean said, "I understand what you mean, don't worry. I wouldn't be hiding that fact that I have kids from you." The last part as said with a slight edge that the omega in front of him answered with a slight blush.  
  
"Why do you have them?" the omega questioned.  
  
Instead of answering, Dean let out a deep breath. He wanted to talk to someone about it but was going over if he could or not. It wasn't an ongoing investigation and the guy already confessed.  
  
He was still thinking about it when his thoughts were interrupted again. "You don't have to tell me if you don't want to," the omega said tentatively.  
  
"No. I want to tell you, but it's just..." Dean was looking around. There weren't any children around them. "It's just pretty bad."  
  
"It won't do you any good keeping it in," he was softly told.  
  
"It the case from this morning. It was a pretty open-and-shut, but it's still hard to believe that alphas can be such bastards."  
  
Mr. Novak stayed quiet. Waiting for Dean to recollect his thoughts.  
  
"This abusive asshole decided that his ex-wife shouldn't have found someone else, much less have a child with him." A gasp interrupted him for a second. "I'm sure that you can figure out the rest. I wish I could at least punch him, but then I would get suspended."  
  
"But you got the guy. He probably won't even see the outside again. My knowledge is fairly limited, but I heard that prisoners don't take kindly to those who hurt pups."  
  
Dean started chuckling. "Yeah, that's true. His time in jail is going to be absolute hell."  
  
"It's nice to hear you laugh," the omega said.  
  
"You're quite flattering, Mr. Novak."  
  
"Castiel."  
  
"Bless you."  
  
His response was to playfully push the alpha. "I know you know what my real name is. My name is on all the paperwork Sam takes home."  
  
"Well, what did you expect me to do? It's not a common name."  
  
"It's biblical, like everyone else in my family."  
  
"Super religious parents?"  
  
"Yes. They wanted me and my siblings... to live a certain way."  
  
Dean was about to question him when three kids ran up to him.  
  
"Dean," Sam pulled on his shirt. "We're hungry." Steve stood beside him and nodded his head.  
  
"Alright, we'll go and get food now." The three cheered and Dean chuckled at them. "See you tomorrow, Cas," he said to the teacher with a wave.  
  
He ushered to children out of the gym, and back out towards the car. The three were talking amongst each other, over a variety of topics that Dean couldn't keep up with. He helped everyone back into the Impala and set out for their destination.  
  


* * *

  
Dean had finished cleaning away dinner. Trying to feed three pups was difficult. The had just finished putting the last dish away when he heard soft footsteps come into the kitchen.  
  
"Dean?" Sam asked. "Can you read us a story?"  
  
"Us?"  
  
"Yes, we can't go to sleep without a story."  
  
"Okay, kiddo. I'll be right up."  
  
Dean walked to the bookshelf that was in the livingroom. He quickly grabbed one of the children's books from the shelf and made his way upstairs. As he reached the second floor, he looked into Sam's room and saw that the bed was empty. He moved on into the guest bedroom, and saw the three children cuddled up together in the bed.  
  
Walking into the room, he said: "So, I hear that some little ones want to hear a story."  
  
All three of them nodded their heads in agreement. He pulled out a chair that was in the corner of the room toward the bed before sitting on it. He opened the book, cleared his through and proceeded to tell the story.  
  
It was thirty minutes later that Dean finished the story. He slowly closed the book and stood up. In the bed were three sleeping children. He didn't want to move Sam and have to worry about having the boy go back to sleep. He left the room to grab Sam's night light and headed back into the room. Plugging it in, he walked out the door, and turned off the lights as he went.  
  
Dean made his way back to the kitchen. He went to the coffee maker, put in a new filter and beans, and started the machine. As he was watching the coffee drip, he heard the doorbell ring. He looked towards the door, but it was too dark to see outside. He walked his way towards it and quickly opened the door. Standing outside of his door was Cas.  
  
"What ae you doing here?" he asked.  
  
"I don't really know. I just felt like I needed to be here."  
  
"Come in then," Dean told the man, waving him in, and guiding him towards the kitchen. "Not that I mind, but I would never expect for you to come to my house late at night."  
  
"You haven't given me a reason not to trust you."  
  
The coffee maker dinged. "Do you want coffee?"  
  
"No, thank you. It's much too late for that."  
  
"Suit yourself," Dean told him. Grabbing a mug and filling it. He walked back to where the omega was standing. He was standing slightly outside of the room, looking at all the photos that were hanging up along the wall. "Those are our parents," Dean said, pointing at a picture of his mom and dad before he came into their lives. They were quite a young couple when they first had him.  
  
"What happened to them?" Cas asked.  
  
Dean took a sip from the mug first. "Really bad car accident. They were driving back home late at night after a cookout with some friends. Drunk driver ran a red light and smashed into the front of the car. Sam was in the back. It's a miracle that wasn't hurt other than a couple of scratches."  
  
"I'm sorry for your loss," Cas said turning around.  
  
"Thanks. I'm just happy that I was in a stable position to take in Sam. When the hospital called me, I raced straight there."  
  
"It's nice of you to take in your brother like that."  
  
"There wasn't anything else I would have done. We're family. Now I have a question for you."  
  
"Go ahead."  
  
"Why were you so scared of me when we first met?"  
  
Cas took a deep breath. "That's a long story."  
  
"I have plenty of time."  
  
"We should probably sit down first."  
  
Dean ushered the omega to the couch in the living room. He sat on the far end, while Cas sat on the other. Dean brought his legs up so that he could turn to face the man and set his mug on the coffee table to his left.  
  
Cas took a while to start. "As I said before, my parents are quite religious. They were also very traditional in their ways. They were both alphas, and when I finally presented at eleven, let's just say they weren't every happy.  
  
"Within a couple of months, alphas would be coming in and out of the house. They inspected me and would be completely creepy. I would be in the room when my parents would be discussing the purchasing price of me. For the longest time, that was the only thing I knew."  
  
Dean felt himself start to growl lowly in his chest. Cas turned towards him with a small smile. "I'm fine now. Can I continue?" Dean felt calm as he nodded.  
  
"That continued for a couple of years. As the youngest, my siblings had already moved out of the house. Eventually, a alpha finally wanted to purchase me, but my parents wanted to wait until I was of legal age, thankful. A month after that, one of my older brothers came to visit and I cried to him all day what happened. That day, he told me to back up my stuff and he took me away. After that I was completely terrified of alphas. Anytime one would come close to me, I would freak out. I could only be around my brothers who were for the most part alphas.   
  
"I was home-schooled through out the rest my schooling and went to an omega-only university. I had completely isolated myself from real society. I always loved pups, so I decided to go into kindergarten education. I would be able to see their personalities grow and see their happiness when they shifted for the first time. I also figured that any alphas I met would be mated, and I wouldn't have to worry about any one trying to do anything to me."  
  
"And then I walked in."  
  
"And then you walked in," Cas said with a shy smile. "I was terrified, and then your smell didn't make it any better. I felt drawn to you, but I was scared if you were like those alphas I had met when I was younger."  
  
"So, what changed your mind about me eventually?"  
  
"It was the way you would always give me my space until I got used to you. But at the end of the day, it was mostly Sam."  
  
"Sam?"  
  
Yes, as weird as it sounds. He wouldn't stop talking about you and what a great big brother you were. I knew he was telling the truth; children that age can't filter themselves and can't really lie."  
  
Dean chuckled. "I don't know how I feel about my five-year-old brother being my wingman."  
  
"I think it's adorable. It's always nice to see a potential mate be good with pups."  
  
Dean, who had just taken a gulp of his coffee, started coughing. Once his lungs were clear, he asked: "Really?"  
  
"I'm sure that even you have realized that we're true mates at this point. In most time scales, we're moving pretty slow."  
  
"You were worth the wait," Dean honestly said. A blush covered the omegas face but kept eye contact.  
  
"That's nice to know."  
  
Dean opened his mouth to say more, but he heard a female scream coming from upstairs. Letting his instincts take over, he was upstairs and in the guest room. He flipped on the lights and went over to the bed. Amazingly, the boys were still somehow asleep while Christie was screaming in her sleep. He went to her side of the bed and shook the girl awake. She woke up with a gasp. She turned toward Dean and jumped into his arms and cried into his chest. He quietly whispered into her ear until she calmed down.  
  
"What happened?" Dean asked her.  
  
Through gasps and tears, she said: "I saw... the bad man...hurting Mommy. I tried to... go to her... after he left... but she wouldn't...move."  
  
Dean figured that the nightmare had something to do with that. Her brother didn't see the body, so hopefully, he wouldn't have nightmares again.  
  
"You're mom's okay now," Dean told her.  
  
"But I want her here... with us."  
  
"I know. I wish my parents were still around."  
  
"But... but... you're an adult."  
  
"I know," Dean replied. "Doesn't mean that I don't think about them every day."  
  
"I want the dreams to go away."  
  
"Just think of your favorite memories. It helps some times."  
  
"What if it doesn't?"  
  
"I'll be there for you for the rest of the night."  
  
"Okay," the girls sniffled. "I would like to sleep again." She moved out of Dean's arms and settled herself back into the bed. She quickly closed her eyes. "You can turn the light off now," she demanded.  
  
"Yes, ma'am," Dean jokingly told the little girl, getting a small giggle from her. He walked out of the room again and turned the lights off. Walking back downstairs, he was surprised to see Cas still sitting on the couch. "You're still here?"  
  
"Did you really expect me to leave?"  
  
"Kinda. I had no clue how long it would take to calm her down."  
  
"It's fine, although I now know why you're drinking coffee this late."  
  
"Yeah, Sam did the same thing. I just wanted to be prepared. I'll probably just read something on watch some videos until it's time for them to walk up."  
  
The omega gave him a stern look. "That's not very healthy. Especially with your job."  
  
"I'll be fine. It's only for the night, and I'm just doing paperwork tomorrow. Nothing to big."  
  
He was given a suspicious look. Cas looked into his eyes and looked for any signs of deceit and finding none. "Well, I guess I should leave you to your videos. Unlike you, I have to take care of twenty five-year-olds. I need my sleep." He got up from the couch and started to head towards the door. He was about to open the door, when he looked back at the alpha behind him. "You know, I've never been given a nickname before. I think I like it."  
  
"I'll be sure to use it more often."  
  
"Good night." The omega had opened the door and was a couple of steps out before Dean stopped in.  
  
"Friday!" he exclaimed.  
  
"Friday?"  
  
"Are you free Friday?"  
  
"I can make myself available," Cas responded cheekily.  
  
"Will you be willing to go on a date with me?" he asked nervously.  
  
"Of course. We can talk about it during the week."  
  
"Good night, Cas."  
  
"Good night, Dean."  
  
Dean watched the omega get into his car and watched as he drove away, waving as he went. The closed and relocked the door. He leaned against the door, feeling his heart beat race. A good end to a horrible day.


	8. Chapter 8

The next morning, Dean was woken up by his little brother shaking him awake.  
  
"What are you doing up?" he asked the pup.  
  
"We heard your alarm. It woke us up," the pup replied.  
  
Dean checked his watch and noticed it was a couple of minutes past when he usually woke up. He also noticed that he had dozed off for an hour with his laptop still set on his lap with the screen darken. Dean let out a huge yawn, before putting his attention back on his brother.  
  
"Is everyone else awake?" he asked.  
  
Sam nodded in response.  
  
"Alright, buddy, it's time for you to get ready at school."  
  
At this, the pup shook his head "no." "I don't want to go to school. I want to stay here with Christie and Steve."  
  
"Buddy," Dean said lightly, "They're probably going to be gone by the time we leave."  
  
Unfortunately, that did nothing to appease the pup. His eyes started to water and he started to sniffle. "I don't want them to go."  
  
"I know, but they have a family. Do you want them to go to them?"  
  
"I guess so," the pup said. "Will I ever see them again?"  
  
"We'll talk about that later. Until then, you should get ready."  
  
The pup started to walk back up the stairs, slower than he usually did. He followed the boy upstairs, making sure that he went into his room the change. After making sure that he was, he walked to the laundry room. It took Christie's and Steve's clothes. He certainly didn't have anything for Christie and Steve was fairly small for his age so Sam's clothing would fit them. He carried the clothes to the guest room where he found the children sitting on the bed, talking to one another. As he walked in, they turned towards him with small smiles on their faces.  
  
"Sorry I couldn't find clothes for you. You're going to have to put up with the ones from yesterday."  
  
"That's fine," Christie told him. "Thanks for letting us borrow your shirts."  
  
Dean looked back at the old T-shirts that he lent them. They were a bit small for him, but they swallowed the children.  
  
"I let you guys get dressed then. I'll meet you downstairs," he said, handing their clothes over and shutting the door behind him.  
  
Dean was happy that he thought that he might doze off at the end of his all-night stint. He was already shower and dressed for the day. He went back downstairs and started to make a special breakfast for the pups: pancakes. He would usually only make them on the weekends, but they would need it today.  
  
As he was putting the last of the batter together, the doorbell rang. He sat the batter on the counter and walked toward the door. Once opened, he saw Dorothy on the other side with a woman he didn't recognize but looked a lot like Christie.  
  
"Detective Winchester," Dorothy started. "This is Ms. Bellum, the children's aunt. I figured we would come in early to get everything set up, assuming that you would need to get your brother to school."  
  
"Right," Dean ushered them both in. "They're upstairs getting dressed. I making breakfast if you would like some."  
  
"If you don't mind," Ms. Bellum said meekly. "I've been on the road all night trying to get back into town. I was on a business trip a couple of states over and didn't want to fly. I'm terrified of planes."  
  
"I don't blame you," Dean said to assure her. "They're death traps. So, is pancakes alright..."  
  
"Please, call me Amara."  
  
"Dean."  
  
"Right. Thank you so much for taking care of my niece and nephew until I could get back."  
  
"No problem. They were a pleasure to have," he said, escorting the two women to the kitchen, where he continued making pancakes.  
  
Dorothy sat down at one of the countertops and put her briefcase on the counter. "Right now, I have a bunch of paperwork to sign. In summary, they are an agreement that you are taking legal custody of the children and that you will take care of them in accordance with law." Opening up the briefcase, she handed over a stack of papers for Amara to look over and sign.  
  
While doing that, three sets of feet were heard coming down the stairs and rounding the corner of the kitchen. First came Christie with Sam following the year. Once Amara was in view, Christie and Stevie ran up to the woman.  
  
"Auntie Amara!" they both cheered. Once they got up to her, the hugged her tight and wouldn't let her go.  
  
"It's alright, guys. You're going to come home with me."  
  
"Is Uncle Chuck with you?" Christie asked her aunt.  
  
"I have to clue where he is, sweetie."  
  
"Oh," the girl said with a dejected look while Steve looked at her with confusion.  
  
Sam had made his way to Dean and was no clinging to his leg. Figuring it was a better time than any, he announced that breakfast was ready. He plated each child with two pancakes and a small amount of syrup and have them each a small cup of juice. He served the adults, as well as the children, made their way to the table. They stayed at the counter and continued their conversation.  
  
"I didn't see anything about a 'Chuck,'" Dorothy stated. "I'm fairly certain that I would have gotten information on him."  
  
"I can't exactly tell you where he is," Amara started. He bounces around from place to place, sending us a postcard or two. He doesn't leave us any way to contact him. He pretty much just shows up when convent."  
  
"So, he would be really present in their lives?"  
  
"I would say no. I'm fairly certain he doesn't even know he has a nephew. He showed up one day when Christie was five and staying with me and Steve was at a doctor's appointment. He introduced himself to her and left before Lily could get back with Steve. For all I know, he could be down and Mexico eating flatbread. There's no telling with him."  
  
Amara handed over all of the signed paperwork for Dorothy to look over once again. Amara started to dig into the breakfast she was provided as if she hadn't eaten for a while. After cramming some down her throat she asked Dean a question.  
  
"Any tips for being a new single parent?" she asked him.  
  
"Try your best," he stated. "All kids are different."  
  
"Okay. They've stayed with me from time to time so I have some things for them. Is there any way I could get the rest of their things."  
  
"It might take a couple of days for the techs are completely done with the house. The areas of interest are fairly isolated, so I wouldn't imagine that you would have a hard time."  
  
"Great. I know that living in the same town might help, but having their things will hopefully make the transition easier."  
  
"You live in town?" Dean asked her.  
  
"Yes, I didn't realize it when I first heard the address, but it's about a five-minute walk... North of here."  
  
"That's good news. I think Sam's attached."  
  
The two looked over to the table and saw the three children talking animatedly to one another.  
  
"I don't think they would mind have slumber parties every now and then. I certainly wouldn't mind."  
  
"We might need to set that up," Dean said, giving Amara a slight smile.  
  
Dorothy shaped up the stack of papers in front of her and put them back into the briefcase. "Everything is in order, so you can take the kids as soon as breakfast is over. I'll turn in everything once I go back to the office and get everything on file. Since you are a biological relative, I shouldn't have any problems getting all of the paperwork through quickly. Of course, you are going to have to change your tax information, but that can be done when you file your taxes. There's nothing really left to do."  
  
"Really?" Amara asked. "That's all?"  
  
"The process is much more strenuous if you are not a relative."  
  
The adults spent the last few minutes finishing off their breakfast and walked over to the table. The pup's plates were still full of the food in front of them.  
  
"You know," Dean mentioned to Sam as he swatted next to his brother, "Eating slowly isn't going to prevent you from going to school."  
  
"But I don't want Steve and Christie to leave," the boy mumbled.  
  
"Well guess what? They aren't going to go too far from here. You would be able to visit them."  
  
Really?" Sam asked, looking at Amara for confirmation.  
  
"I wouldn't mind you coming over in the slightest. Just give us a little bit to get settled."  
  
Sam jumped out of his chair and ran over to Amara, hugging her legs tightly. "Thank you," he told her.  
  
"No problem, but you should probably finish eating." She said the last part softly, almost as if she was trying to keep it a secret.  
  
Sam nodded at her and let her go. He walked back to the table where he went back to work eating. The other two followed his lead and finished as well. The adults watched as the children quickly eat the rest of their food, showing that they were hungry. They were done soon after. They shared hugs before the quartet left to prepare for their journey whiles Amara and Dean shared phone numbers. After the four left, Sam and Dean prepared to go to his school and a much better mood.  
  


* * *

  
Dean walked to his desk with a little skip in his step. Everything could not have been better. Benny was coming back from grabbing a coffee from the break room.  
  
"You look way too happy," Benny informed him.  
  
"What can I say? I'm having a great day."  
  
"So, I'm guessing the aunt came for the kids. Think she's alright?"  
  
"Yeah, I didn't notice anything wrong with her. I'm pretty sure with how pissed off Charlie was about the kids being kidnapped, I doubt she would have picked someone she didn't find worthy."  
  
"But, there's something else there. Did anything else happen last night?"  
  
"I may have a date come Friday."  
  
"How did that happen?"  
  
"Honestly, I have no clue. I've been waiting for him for months and he's giving me a shot."  
  
"You better not ruin it. Then I have to hear you moping afterward."  
  
"Sorry, but not all of us have spouses that we can come home to every day. How's Andrea doing, by the way."  
  
"She's great. Starting to hate the fact that's pregnant because her feet are always hurting," Benny informed him.  
  
"Great, you two wouldn't know anyone willing to babysit Friday."  
  
"Sorry, brotha. We're not that far along."  
  
"Why do you need a babysitter?" a voice came from behind the two. Turning around, they saw Charlie standing there and files in her hand.  
  
"I have a date Friday, and I need someone to stay with Sam."  
  
  
"Ahh, your little brother." Dean wasn't even going to ask how she knew about Sam. "I'm free Friday and have nothing going on."  
  
"Thanks," Dean said. "I'm aiming for going at seven or so. I'm also guessing that I don't need to give you my address."  
  
"Nope, I'm good. If I don't see you until then, see you Friday. Bobby just gave me a bunch of work to do. I'm going to be locking myself in my office. Don't come in unless it's important."  
  
She didn't wait for a response from the two guys. She headed straight towards the elevators. Benny and Dean looked at each other and then the paperwork on their desks. They sighed before getting right to work.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So... I know that a couple of you wanted Dean to adopt Christie and Steve, but I have other plans for them. I hope this appeases you guys, knowing that they will show up from time to time.


	9. Chapter 9

Dean watched as Sam trailed in front of him through the precinct. He would give the pup instructions on where to go every now and again, but he was leading the way all by himself. He was looking around with wide eyes, looking around the rooms he had never been to before.  
  
It was a teacher workday for Sam's school, but Dean still had to come to work. Sam was excited to be able to visit Dean's workplace. He was never able to come any time before, and Sam saw it as an adventure. The pup was carrying a heavy bookbag with all of the things he felt he needed for the day.  
  
Dean motioned for Sam to turn the corner to his desk when the pup stopped short at. Dean walked to his side and looked in the same direction as his brother. He saw Benny sitting at his desk staring into his computer screen. To a small child, he could guess that Benny did look a little scary.  
  
"Hey, man," Dean told the other alpha.  
  
"Hey, brotha," Benny said, not looking up. "I was wondering when you would show up. I'm not doing your paperwork for you."  
  
"Sorry, Sam couldn't decide what to bring with him. I had to convince him that he didn't need to bring his entire library."  
  
Benny looked up at Dean and found the pup hiding behind Dean's legs. "Well, I would have. You're not very interesting to talk to. I would distract myself if I could."  
  
Behind him, Dean could hear Sam giggle. "Ha, ha," he said as he walked to his desk. He sat down in his chair, picking Sam up so he was in his lap. Sam leaned back against his older brother's chest, smiling at the other alpha.  
  
"Hey, I'm Benny," Benny introduced himself to the pup.  
  
"I'm Sam," the pup said shyly.  
  
"You're brother talks about you all the time."  
  
Sam turned around and have Dean aa slight look. Dean looked down, giving his younger a slight smirk before ruffling his hair. Sam squeaked and tried to straighten his hair.  
  
"What happened to school?" Benny asked Dean.  
  
"It's a teacher work day. The day when teachers get a break from the little rascals. And seeing as I know no one able to babysit, here he is."  
  
"Makes sense to me. Just hope nothing comes us."  
  
"Mr. Novak gave us homework to do," Sam informed the alphas as if Benny would know who that was. "He said that we would go over some of it in class tomorrow and finish over the weekend."  
  
"Knowing this little guy, he's going to finish it today," Dean told Benny.  
  
Sam set about pulling all of his work out of his backpack. They were a couple of workbooks with pages marked in sticky notes. Sam opened the one on top to the first post-it note. The page opened to a grid of math problems to solve. There was a pencil between the pages that Sam picked up and got to work. Dean and Benny chuckled at the fact that the pup went straight to work. Following his led, the two alphas got to work as well, finishing up the paperwork from the last couple of cases. Thankfully, most of the cases did not contain graphic photos. Dean made sure to not look at the photos over the course of the day, except for when Sam had to use the bathroom. After the first time, Sam informed Dean of the fact that he could go by himself.  
  
A couple of hours into the day, a presence made herself known to the boys. "Whatcha doing?" Charlie asked them, as she jumped onto Benny's desk.  
  
"Paperwork," Benny told her. "Don't you have work to do? You told us not to bother you this week."  
  
"I finished because that's just how amazing I am. Plus, nothing's really been going on since Monday. I decided to leave my throne for a while, see what was going on with my knights."  
  
"Are they really your knights?" Sam asked the red-head in front of him.  
  
She gave him a shocked look. "Why, of course. I send them on quests and everything. They can't do anything without me."  
  
"I'm certain that we can do enough without your say so," Dean told her.  
  
Charlie looked towards Sam, before whispering to him out loud. "I just let them think that. Keeps them from planning an uprising against me. So, kid, what kind of games are you into? Mario or Link fan?"  
  
Sam looked at her with confusion. "Who are they?"  
  
Charlie dramatically gasped in horror. "You don't know who they are? What have you been teaching to poor boy?" she asked the last question towards Dean.  
  
"I'm sorry," he told her blankly. "I haven't had the chance to teach him the elaborate biographies of video game characters. I've been busy teaching him how to read and write."  
  
"That's no excuse. Don't worry, I'll teach him all that he needs to know. I have some planning to do." Charlie hopped off on Benny's desk and walked out of the bullpen.  
  
"I'm slightly scared of what she's going to do," Dean told Benny.  
  
"You should be. Your brother is going to know everything there is to know."  
  
"Who was that?" Sam asked the two of them.  
  
"That would be Charlie," Benny told the pup.  
  
"How is she going to teach me that stuff?"  
  
"She agreed to babysit you tomorrow," Dean responded.  
  
"Why is she going to babysit me?"  
  
"I'm going out tomorrow?"  
  
"Where?"  
  
"I haven't decided yet."  
  
"Are you going with anyone?"  
  
"You know, you ask a lot of questions, kid."  
  
"Mr. Novak says that asking lots of questions is a sign of intelligence."  
  
"Is that right?" Dean asked him.  
  
Sam nodded his head quickly at his older brother before putting his head back to the books. The alphas chuckled at the little pup before going back to their work.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the really short chapter. School has been kicking my butt lately, but I really wanted to get something out to you guys. I have no clue when the next time I'll post will be, but the next chapter is the date.


End file.
